Early Arrival
Early Arrival is offered for students who have a Fall 2026 housing assignment and need to arrive before Friday, August 14, 2026.
University Sponsored Groups
If you are part of a university-sponsored program or student organization that will need to arrive before Friday, August 14, please check with your coach or organization advisor for more details about your move-in date.
| Group | Date | Time | Check In Location |
| Women's Soccer | Monday, July 13 | TBD | Community Offices |
| USA Housing Resident Assistants | Wednesday, July 29 | 8am-noon (CST) | with Supervisor |
| Football | Friday, July 31 | TBD | Stokes Hall |
| Volleyball | Friday, July 31 | TBD | Community Offices |
| South Guides & Orientation Leaders Group #1 | Saturday, August 1 | 9am-noon (CST) | Community Offices |
| Jaguar Productions | Sunday, August 2 | 1pm-4pm (CST) | Community Offices |
| JMB #1 (Leadership, Colorguard, Drumline, Managers) | Tuesday, August 4 | 9am-noon (CST) | Community Offices |
| USA Housing Desk Assistants | Monday, August 4 | 1pm-4pm (CST) | Community Offices |
| JMB #2 (First Year Wind Players) | Wednesday, August 5 | 1pm-4pm (CST) | Community Offices |
| College of Education Field Experience | Thursday, August 6 | 1pm-4pm (CST) | Community Offices |
| JMB #3 (Returning Wind Players) | Friday, August 7 | 1pm-4pm (CST) | Community Offices |
| Sorority Members | Saturday, August 8 | 1pm-4pm (CST) | Community Offices |
| Math Bridge Engineering | Sunday, August 9 | 1pm-4pm (CST) | Community Offices |
| USA Southerners | Tuesday, August 11 | 1pm-4pm (CST) | Community Offices |
| South Guides & Orientation Leaders Group #2 | Tuesday, August 11 | 9am-noon (CST) | Community Offices |
| Honors College | Tuesday, August 11 | 9am-noon (CST) | Community Offices |
| Global USA International Students #1 | Tuesday, August 11 | 1pm-4pm (CST) | with Global USA |
| Cheer and Mascots | Wednesday, August 12 | 1pm-4pm (CST) | Community Offices |
| Global USA International Students #2 | Wednesday, August 12 | 1pm-4pm (CST) | with Global USA |
| Global USA International Students #3 | Thursday, August 13 | 1pm-4pm (CST) | with Global USA |
- You will need to confirm that you will be arriving early with your designated University early arrival group by logging in to your MyUSAHousing portal. Click the 'Requests' link and choose 'Early Arrival' from the dropdown menu.
- You will receive your Move-In appointment and Move-In instructions (including check-in location) by mid-July via your JagMail.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD & PRINT YOUR EARLY ARRIVAL DASHBOARD CARD
Personal Early Arrival
Associated fees: $25.00 nightly rate for early arrival
Personal early arrivals (students not involved in an early arrival group) are highly discouraged PRIOR TO AUGUST 8, 2026, and must be based on the student's need to be on campus and not convenience, including travel convenience. As a result, USA Housing grants very few requests for early arrival outside the parameters noted below. It may be necessary for parents to take a day off from work to move a student, so families are asked to plan accordingly. Please know that all requests for early arrivals are subject to the availability of the space where the student is assigned to live. Please note: If you are a member of an approved University-Sponsored Early Arrival Group, you must arrive during your group's designated arrival date and time.
Requests to arrive prior to the fall move-in date will NOT be approved for the following
reasons:
- Summer lease runs out: Students who live off-campus may not move into their fall rooms early due to summer
off-campus leases expiring. Summer II housing is available for students enrolled in
a summer class. Students living on campus for Summer II and Fall 2025 are permitted
to move to their fall room assignment on August 2.
- Roommate already on campus: Students hoping to move in because their roommate(s) have already been approved will
not be granted permission for early arrival. Unauthorized early arrivals will be billed
a $100 per day early arrival fee, may be asked to leave, and face disciplinary action.
- "Just want to be back": If there is no legitimate reason for a student to be back on campus early, the request
will not be approved. Unauthorized early arrivals will be billed a $100 per day early
arrival fee, may be asked to leave, and face disciplinary action.
- Working in Mobile: Students working off-campus will not receive approval to move in early.
MOVE IN EARLY at NO CHARGE
- USA Housing invites returning upperclass students to move in early on either Tuesday, August 11, Wednesday, August 12, or Thursday, August 13, and participate in the Jaguar Welcome Team.
- Returning upperclass students who move in on August 11-13 and assist with at least one 4-hour volunteer shift during Move-In 2026 on August 14 or August 15 will have their Early Arrival fees waived (up to $75).
- Student and university volunteers can click here to sign up with the USA SGA Office and check in with their assigned move-in captain on the day they are scheduled to volunteer.
Early Arrival Requests will open on MyUSAHousing beginning June 17, 2026, at 9AM CST, under the 'Requests' menu.
IMPORTANT: Residents of Gamma 2, 3, 4, & 9; SouthPaw Village; and specific apartments at Traditions at South (see below) are not eligible to request early arrival for Fall 2026 due to ongoing facilities work in those rooms. Any early arrival requests made by those residents will be denied.
Traditions at South 115
Traditions at South 116
Traditions at South 214
Traditions at South 215
Traditions at South 216
Traditions at South 314
Traditions at South 315
Traditions at South 316
Traditions at South 414
Traditions at South 415
Traditions at South 416
If you are NOT a member of a University-sponsored program or student organization and want to arrive early, you will need to submit an early arrival request online in your MyUSAHousing portal by the deadline of Friday, July 24 at 5pm CST!
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD & PRINT YOUR EARLY ARRIVAL DASHBOARD CARD
Early Arrival Move-In Timeline:
- Saturday, August 8, 12pm-5pm: Early arrival by appointment only ($150.00 early arrival fee) at your community office.
- Sunday, August 9, 12pm-5pm: Early arrival by appointment only ($125.00 early arrival fee) at your community office.
- Monday, August 10, 12pm-5pm: Early arrival by appointment only ($100.00 early arrival fee) at your community office.
- Tuesday, August 11, 12pm-5pm: Early arrival by appointment only ($75.00 early arrival fee) at your community office.
- Wednesday, August 12, 12pm-5pm: Early arrival by appointment only ($50.00 early arrival fee) at your community office.
- Thursday, August 13, 12pm-5pm: Early arrival by appointment only ($25.00 early arrival fee) at your community office.
Early Arrival Additional Costs:
Early arrival fees are added to a student's PAWS account. All students who arrive prior to the published residence hall opening date are responsible for the early arrival fee. If a group or organization is paying the early arrival fee, the group sponsor must notify the Housing Office by July 1.
- All late requests received July 25-August 1, 2026, will be subject to a late charge of $100.00 in addition to the nightly rate.
- All late requests received August 2-9, 2026, will be subject to a late charge of $175.00 in addition to the nightly rate.
- All late requests received after August 9, 2026, will be subject to a late charge of $250.00 in addition to the nightly rate.
The Do's & Don'ts
Please review the following carefully before submitting your Early Arrival Request
- Please note that requests to arrive early may not be granted, as some rooms are unavailable until the published Residence Hall Opening date. If this applies to your room you will be notified via JagMail that you cannot participate in Early Arrival after USA Housing has processed your request.
- If your request is not approved, you will be required to wait until the published residence hall opening date to move in.
- Many services, such as Dining, may not be fully operational prior to the published residence hall opening date.
- Early Arrival is not guaranteed and will be assessed based on eligibility.
- If the student withdraws from the program/event that necessitated their early arrival, they will no longer be eligible to arrive early.
- Approved students are responsible for the 'Terms & Conditions' outlined in their housing contract and will be expected to abide by all housing Community Standards during the early arrival period.
- Overnight guests are not permitted during the early arrival period.
- Building maintenance, including painting and final cleaning, may be ongoing in the residential communities during the early arrival period.
For more information or if you have any questions, please call the USA Housing Office at 251-341-4663.